Friends and family members have established a memorial endowment through the Tucker Community Foundation to support West Virginia students and young professionals that share a passion for creative and technical writing focused on promotion of the humanities, tolerance, social introspection and responsibility. The fund is named for local resident and journalist, Ellis Boury III.
According to family members, Boury attended the University of Pittsburgh, entering the honors program as an engineering student. Although gifted in science, his passion led him to liberal studies and the humanities. Ultimately, in trying to find his place, Boury left school and moved to Davis in the summer of 2013.
His parents, Ellis (Bink) and Rebecca Boury had this to say about their son, “Ellis came to us with much anticipation; as the first grandchild in the Boury family, he was named after his father and grandfather, and became affectionately known as Ellis Michael. We smiled at his byline while writing for The Parsons Advocate, Ellis Boury III. He was finding his way and had found a home, our second home as a family, (which he had grown up coming to), in the mountains of West Virginia. If you knew Ellis, you might have seen in his bright blue eyes, a longing for a simple life, quiet and peaceful, being a part of what he wrote about the most, humanity; you might have also seen him dancing his way through the day.”
“His main literary diversion was Feist as complex fantasy, as well as any literature on string and chaos theory including The Elegant Universe, and any work by Richard Dawkins which was stacked on his desk at the time of his passing. We realize this now that many young writers with strong convictions may underestimate the power of their own thoughts as they come down to the paper. While Ellis was still finding the true way to leave his print, we now know that he was doing just that. We will continue to think that as some stars burn slow and steady for many, many years, others burn hot and bright and are gone in a moment. Ellis was an intense star. We celebrated the day he would have turned 28 years old on September 26, 2014.”
“We hope that this fund will become a beacon for those who feel passionately about the human condition and our place in the universe as did our son; to share your work and flourish as you spread discourse about these simple daily acts that can change a seemingly over-complex world.”
To donate to the Ellis Boury III Fund, mail checks made out to TCF – Boury Fund, PO Box 491, Parsons, WV 26287. For more information contact Rob Burns at 304-478-2930 or Diane Hinkle at 304-259-5008.
